In South Korea's shrinking cities, prisons offer residents a lifeline

Such facilities bring jobs and revenue, spurring investment in infrastructure

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TAEBAEK, Gangwon - Mr Kim Kyung-rae, a 60-year-old taxi driver in Taebaek, rarely picks up young passengers. Most of his customers are elderly.

But it was not always like this. In the 1970s and 1980s, young, eager job seekers flocked to Taebaek, then a bustling coal mining area in South Korea.

People would joke that even dogs carried 10,000 won bills, so prosperous was the town.

For many, Taebaek was a second home town.

"Now, the city has lost its life," Mr Kim said. "We used to have 120,000 people back then. Now, we probably have fewer than 30,000 when excluding the 'ghost population,'" he said, referring to people who are registered here but actually live elsewhere.

Even his two daughters have left, moving to Seoul for university and work.

"I haven't heard a baby cry in years," he added. "I'm really afraid my city might disappear or be merged into a neighboring one. I am not exaggerating."

Located about 180km from the capital, Taebaek once powered South Korea's coal industry.

At its peak in the 1980s, it was home to 52 mining stations, but as coal demand fell, so did the city's fortunes.

Its last remaining mine, in Janseong-dong, closed in 2024.

As at February, the city's population had shrunk to just 37,000 - the lowest of any city in the country. More than 30 per cent of residents are aged 65 or older.

Gangwon Tourism College, Taebaek's only higher education institution, shut down in 2024.

Mr Seo Hyun-chul, 29, is one of the few young adults who returned to Taebaek.

An engineer, he was born here and initially found work elsewhere.

Now, he has been dispatched by his company to work on wind power generators near his home town.

Most of his friends, he said, have moved to places like Jeolla province, Gyeonggi province, or Seoul.